Stuff About Stuff...

Well, it seems I went about all this a bit backwards. My thanks to Cogito for helping me out and pointing me in the right direction.

In my early 30's, I've now been seriously writing for slightly over 5 years. In that time, I've written over 100 short stories (many of them pure garbage) and collected them into two anthologies, each one containing 32 tales apiece. As I am self-publishing, I often find ridiculous mistakes and errors much too late. While I have a brother with a BA in English Education who aids me in more technical matters, I hope to get some esoteric advice and opinions on things like plot, characters, pacing and theme. My work is mostly that of "Mythic Horror" and "Dark Modern Fantasy." While I've been concentrating on novels the past year and a half, I believe it's time to return to the short story.

I've been active on multiple other like-sites in the past, so I hope to do my best here in regards to reviews and critiques. I'm much better at analyzing stories as opposed to something, like, poetry. Chances are I'll be lurking in the horror section most times. I welcome any and all comments on my work; feel free to be as brutal as necessary. All things add to my developing as a better writer.

What else? Ummm... I survive pretty much on a massive quantity of Cigarettes & Coffee. I have two cats that are currently plotting my doom. I dropped out of Art School and now find myself FAR more fulfilled by the Written Word than I ever did by Visual Arts. No matter when you read this, I'm probably sitting in front of my computer and listening to some pretentious Post-Rock band.

Hi I'm new here too. I didn't drop out of art school because I didn't go, but had I gone I probably would have dropped out. After all art school is one of the few things that you can drop out of and it actually sounds cool.

Anyway welcome and I look forward to reading some of your short stories if you decide to post them.

Posting your own work should not be among the very first things you do here. It is worth taking the time to see what other people have done to improve their writing, and see if some of it applies to your writing as well. That is part of why we require members to review other members' work before posting their own for review. On the other hand, there are no restrictions, other than content and copyright rules, on showcasing your work in your member blog.

If you haven't explored the site yet, you should probably do so soon. Newcomers often gravitate to the Lounge, the Word Games, or the Review Room, but there is much more to be discovered if you poke in the corners. Remember to check out our FAQ as well, and be sure to read through the forum rules, too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate.

As for the Review Room, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize reviewing as a critical writing skill. Training your eye by reviewing other people's work helps you improve your own writing even before you present it for others to see. Therefore, we ask members to review other people's writing before posting work of their own. The Review Room forums on this site, therefore, are true workshops, not just a bulletin board for displaying your work (and on that note, please only post each item for review in one Review Room forum). See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information.

And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out our Weekly Short Story Contest and Weekly Poetry Contest. They actually run more than one week apiece, but any member may enter, and all members are urged to vote for their favorites.